Frozen
by Eljay
Summary: Joey and Seto go for a drive in winter. (Eventually to become JS slash, but clean as of now, and mostly plotless. Suggestions welcome. Joey's PoV- unfinished. Rated for mild swearing.) Enjoy!


Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and I am making no profit off this piece on writing.  
  
Author's notes: Hey there, people. Thanks for taking the time to read my story, and, what's more, my author's notes. I would appreciate it if you could help me out with this. It was supposed to be a PWP, but then I got this really cool scene of Seto and Joey driving around in my head, and I had to write it in. Now I've stalled. If you have any ideas about this chapter (which is basically an introduction) please feel free to contact me about them.  
  
I'm Canadian. Why does this matter at all? It explains the two following points.  
  
I use the dub names. I know the original names, but it comes naturally to me to use the dub names since they're the only thing I'm accustomed to, The spelling may seem off, simply because I use Canadian spelling. Again, simply because I'm used to it.  
  
With that having been said, I hope you enjoy my fanfic. Have a great day!  
  
**  
  
It's so damn cold today.  
  
I just got let out of a detention from Mr. Lee for not doing my math homework yesterday, and the damn bastard made me miss my bus. Ma's probably fucking her personal trainer over at his condo ("Having tea", she calls it. How sick is that?) and I don't have enough money for a cab, so I guess I'll have to walk home. It's almost polar, which is really messed up for Domino- it's never this cold in November. I'm shiverin' already, and I've only been out of the building for a few minutes. Aww, man, could this day get any worse?  
  
"Hey, mutt. We need to talk," yells a familiar voice, and I grind my teeth. "What the fuck are you doing here, Kaiba? Shouldn't you be stealing candy from babies somewhere?" I say dully, pulling my collar up closer to my face.  
  
"It's too cold," he answers, and I raise an eyebrow. Kaiba with a sense of humour? This is new. "Talk about what?" I ask.  
  
"Just come here, mutt."  
  
I turn around to face him and cross my arms across my chest. "No."  
  
Kaiba motions towards the car. "We can go for a drive. Unless, of course, you really do want to stand there and freeze." His smirk extends about two centimetres. Well- he's got me there.  
  
"Fine," I spit, trying to save some face, which is kinda hard considering that I accepted. I'm probably gonna regret this later, but a heated BMW X5 sounds a lot better than numb toes and a runny nose. I walk over to the car and climb in, slamming the door a little harder than necessary.  
  
"Mutt, have you ever been in a BMW before?"  
  
Of course I haven't. "Yes," I lie, without any real conviction.  
  
He glares over at me. "Then you should know how to treat one. Don't slam car doors, mutt," he spits, starting up the ignition and adjusting his rear- view mirror slightly.  
  
Seto drives fast. His car smells like a mix of leather and Seto's cologne- an expensive smell. It's kinda funny to see a blanket covered with little cartoons of astronauts in the back; I'm guessing it belongs to Mokuba. There's also a crumpled Mcdonald's Happy Meal bag next to the blanket, along with a Harry Potter book. It makes me smile- it's like Mokuba's taken over the backseat, but the front is all Seto's territory.  
  
"So- what did you want to talk about?" I ask him, picking at my nails.  
  
"Shut up," he answers.  
  
I'm looking at his face, and there's a little tic in his cheek. Hey, wait a minute; when was my last eye exam? I mean, showing human emotion? Trust me- that's something coming from Kaiba, whose face is practically a fucking ad for Botox injections. I don't think I've ever seen him smile, except for Mokuba. That stupid smirk is all I ever see on his face, so this is some pretty big news. I sit up a little straighter in my seat, leaning into the heat vents.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" I ask. I'm not gonna stop until he tells me something.  
  
"Does it really matter? Do you really want to be home alone while your mom paints the town with her sugar daddy?"  
  
I glare at him. "How did you know about my mom? You stalkin' me or something?"  
  
"No, just a lucky guess. Your mom doesn't seem the type to set up milk and cookies. Why, did I strike a nerve? Poor little puppy- his mum just can't seem to keep her knees together," he says, voice dripping with sarcasm. His face is back to what I like to call the Botox mask. Ah, well, at least he's acting normal again. Acting normal. oxymoron, no? Not for Kaiba.  
  
"Fuck you, Kaiba."  
  
"You want me to let you out of the car, mutt?"  
  
We're about fifteen kilometres away from my place and it's startin' to hail. I want to walk home like I want a punch in the face.  
  
"That's what I thought," he says, after I stay quiet for a minute. "From what I remember, my mother wasn't any different," he adds, his voice almost apologetic.  
  
I stare at him, a little uncomfortable. Did he just open up to me? Did Seto fucking Kaiba, mighty untouchable CEO of Kaiba Corp., just tell me something about himself? I don't know what I should say.  
  
"What's this about, Kaiba? What do you want? You want to force something about Yugi outta me so that you can use it against him? You wanna duel?" When I don't know what to say, I challenge. Not the smartest instinct, but t usually works.  
  
"No on both counts. Plus, if I wanted a duel, a real duel, why would I choose you?"  
  
"Throw me a fucking line, then, asshole," I hiss, glaring at him. He looks over at me for a second, but his eyes flash back to the street. The tic is back.  
  
"Puppy- just shut up. I'm thinking."  
  
"Screw that! I wan-"  
  
"Shut up," he says, sounding really tired. He looks over at me, and his face isn't sarcastic, or mean: it's just as tired as his voice.  
  
What is this? I'm starting to get really confused. I don't want to have to deal with Human Kaiba- I can barely deal with Android Kaiba. I lean over and turn on the radio, basically to stop either of us from making this even more uncomfortable than it already is by saying something else. Damn- static. I fiddle with the dial for a few seconds- ah, there, I just found one of those god-awful country stations. I sit back, satisfied, and let the horrible music blare in the car. It's kind of scary- the music (If it could be called music) makes the car seem even more uncomfortable than it is. I guess that's just what country does for you- damn banjoes. I lean forward and turn it back off.  
  
The silence is really bad- it's almost pricking at my skin. We've been driving for about thirty minutes now; I wonder where we're going. "Hey, how come you don't have your limo today?" I ask, not particularly interested in the answer.  
  
"Didn't feel like it," he answers, monotone.  
  
"I wish I had that choice," I tell him, biting the nail of my index finger. I've gotta keep this conversation going.  
  
He laughs, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "No, you don't. Riding in a limo is like being in the apartment of some really depressed guy from the eighties."  
  
"Sure, whatever." The silence creeps up the two of us again. I almost miss the hillbilly music.  
  
"We're here," says Kaiba all of a sudden, pulling into a parking space in front of an enormous mansion. I'm pretty relieved- I was about to turn the radio back on. "This your place?" I ask, and I'm regretting it already. What a dumb question. Of course it's his house; I've seen it on TV.  
  
"Follow me, mutt," he answers, glancing at me briefly. He opens the back door and pushes Mokuba's blanket to the side, leaning over to get his briefcase out of the back of the car. "Shit," he mutters, leaning over and fishing around in the back of the car. I guess he dropped it. I rest my head against the car and wrap my arms around myself; the cold's gotten even worse.  
  
Suddenly the car bounces, and I hear something thud a lot louder than the briefcase did. I turn around and see Kaiba's feet sticking into the air at an odd angle. "Kaiba!" I yell, opening the door. Damn damn damn. He must have fallen over the backseat trying to get his briefcase- it looks like he hit his head on it. Fuck, that's gotta hurt - I remember him threatening to whack me over the head with that thing once because of the titanium enforcements in the corners. "You all right?" I ask, not really sure what I should do.  
  
"You stupid mutt, does it look like I'm all right?" he snaps, trying to sit up.  
  
"Hey, give me your keys," I tell Kaiba, and he does. I click on the trunk- unlock button, but nothing happens. I click it a few more times. "Damnit!"  
  
Kaiba looks up at me with his best 'Damn, are you stupid or what?' expression. "You idiot, it's broken. I would've popped the trunk to get my briefcase if it was working."  
  
"Okay- which button opens it?" I ask, opening the driver's door and looking at the control panel.  
  
"I don't know. This car was a present; the controls are all in German," he answers.  
  
I sit down in the driver's seat and look at all of the buttons that I have to choose from. None of them mean anything to me. I press a few; the windshield wipers go on and the passenger window rolls down. Shit. I press another two: the passenger window goes back up and I hear a small popping sound. "Is it open?" I ask, crossing my fingers, which have gone numb from the cold.  
  
"Yes." Yes! I take the key out of the ignition, and the windshield wipers shudder to a stop.  
  
"All right, just so you know, the button to open it is right under the one to start the windshield wipers."  
  
I slam the door shut and walk over to the back, pulling the trunk open. Kaiba shivers as the wind hits him right in the face, and squints up at me. "Thanks," he mumbles, sullenly. I hafta smile- that's exactly how I sounded when I got into the car with him.  
  
"Hey, no problem," I answer, grinning. He looks up at me with an eyebrow raised. I suddenly remember that we're standing in the cold, that I'm holding one of Kaiba's hands, and that I'm grinning at him like Brad Pitt at a movie premiere. I drop the smile and help him out of the trunk, wincing at the really bad cut on his hand. It caught on a nail of what looks like three oak boards, a clothes hangar, a coupla Christmas ornaments and a lot of green string hammered together in odd places. I open my mouth to ask him, but he's already answering. "I don't know what that thing is, either," he says, motioning towards what I can only describe as a carefully glued-together accident. "It's Mokuba's- he keeps telling me that it's a surprise, and won't say anything else about it. Stop staring at my hand- yes, contrary to popular belief, I DO bleed, just like all other humans do," he adds, grabbing his briefcase and pulling the trunk door down with his good hand. "Follow me."  
  
I do, still staring at his hand. The cut looks pretty bad- he must have fallen on a nail, and dragged it trying to get back up. His face is the same as always- y'know, the Botox poster-boy one. Maybe he DOES have red blood, but I'm still not willing to believe that Seto Kaiba is fully human. Maybe he's a hybrid- half-human, half-snake, like that dude in Harry Potter.  
  
He takes out an electronic key-pass and swipes it, then types in a password. I hear a beep. He opens the door and I take a step forward, but then I stop- I'm not sure if I should follow him. He turns around halfway down the hall and rolls his eyes at me. "How stupid are you? Get in here, mutt, and close the damn door behind you. Go get me some bandages."  
  
"Band-Aids?" I say absently, kicking off my boots and putting my jacket on the coat rack.  
  
"No, bandages. Band-Aids are bandages the same way that Kleenex are tissues," he answers. I feel bad for Mokuba; I mean, he actually has to live with this guy. I wonder how many times he's been given that same line and I make a mental note to ask him about it. Kaiba heads down another hall that I think leads to the kitchen; I wasn't completely awake when I was watching that TV special about this place. I think it was called 'Domino's teen legend' or something lame like that.  
  
I head down the hall and eventually find a bathroom. I take a few Band-Aids - bandages - out of the medicine cabinet, along with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a tube of Polysporin. I wonder what he calls Polysporin?  
  
"Hey, Kaiba!" I holler. "Where are ya?"  
  
"The lounge," he answers. I snort. What good does that do me?  
  
"It's right next to the foyer," he adds, almost like he read my mind.  
  
I wander down the hall in my socks, peeking into any of the rooms that have open doors. Only one does, and it looks like a guest room. I almost wander past the lounge, but notice at the last minute that Kaiba's staring at me from under his bangs, holding an ice-pack to his head. It's a little creepy. (The stare, not the ice-pack: the ice-pack's pretty normal.) He's sipping a cup of something hot, and he motions to another cup on the coffee table. I pick it up, put down the medical supplies and take a seat on the leather armchair facing Kaiba.  
  
I take a sip of the mystery warmth- turns out to be coffee. I hold the hot cup in my hands, hoping that the blue tone will start fading away, and watch the steam curl off the surface of the dark brown drink. I drain my cup before we start talking, trying to get some circulation going. "Thanks. Good coffee," I say.  
  
"It's Venezuelan," he answers, watching me over the rim of his cup. He shifts the icepack on his head.  
  
Well, there it is. I hope you liked it.  
  
Please leave me a review either here, or send me an email at rupik_n@hotmail.com. Tell me anything that's on your mind, either criticizing what I have so far, or an idea for the rest of the story. Something in particular that bugs me is this title. I really, really do't like this title, but I'm drawing a blank for a better one. Got an idea? I'm happy to listen. (  
  
Please review- authors love reviews. Have a nice day!  
  
-Eljay 


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